Predator
by Clopin K. Trouillefou
Summary: A mysterious demon has been loose in Tokyo and the surrounding area.When he's finally captured he's taken to a research facility, but what happens when a certain young priestess and hanyou find him?
1. Prologue

Where was he? What was this place? What was going on? He was so confused as he gazed out at the world around him from the darkness of an alley. Lights lit up the night without flame, strange creatures sped by on four wheels, the clothes he saw were not the traditional garb of the Japanese people. There were strange smells all around, some were very unpleasant to his sensitive nose, others were inviting, the scents of food, but all these smells mingling together made it difficult to detect an individual's scent. He'd seen hundreds, perhaps thousands of humans walk by in crowds, sometimes a demon or two among them. Demons were obviously no longer common, sparse in the huge crowds of humans; what had happened to diminish their numbers? Demons were once as numerous as humans, but he'd seen so few go by, so many humans but so few demons, why?

He turned and headed through the alley away from the strange black streets dotted with yellow lines, desperately hoping he'd find something familiar. But he stopped suddenly, catching the scent of a group of humans behind him and he turned to face them. They were juveniles, adolescents, a gang of them that surrounded him and judging by their expressions, they meant trouble. They couldn't see the features of their intended victim, but judging by his clothing, he was wealthy, yet it was old fashioned, his hair white; this guy must be old and the elderly were easy victims and he appeared to be unarmed.

"Hey, old timer," one the kids stepped forward, "Isn't it past your bedtime?"

"I could ask you the same thing," the stranger returned.

He looked around at the teens surrounding him, surveying the weapons they carried: pieces of what looked like strong metal, chains, a few had sharp knives in their hands.

"Look, old man," the first, apparently the leader, went on, a smug grin on his face, "We're just a bunch of kids lookin' for a bit of cash. So hand over whatever you've got, nice and easy, and we'll be on our way or things could get very unpleasant."

"Is that a threat?" their intended victim asked.

"Consider it fair warning," the kid replied.

"You dare 'warn' me and things can get very, _very_, ugly," the man growled.

He cracked his knuckles, his eyes bleeding red as he prepared to defend himself, his sharp talons at the ready.

"He's a demon!" another teen exclaimed.

"That changes things," the first adolescent replied, pulling a gun.

The demon looked at the strange metal object in his adversary's hand, confused, wondering what it was and he found out too soon as the ringleader shot at him. He growled in pain as the first two shots struck him, first in the shoulder, the next skimming his side.

He quickly dodged the next shots, a teen coming from behind him with a piece of pipe. The pipe struck the demon in the gut, momentarily knocking the wind out of him, but he reached out a clawed hand grabbing the metal as it was swung at him again. His other hand, slashing at his attacker, catching the kid across the abdomen. Another assailant came at him, wielding a knife; the demon caught his arm and threw him against the alley wall. Another tried attacking only to be thrown into a bunch of trash cans. Suddenly the sound of sirens echoed through the streets, catching the demon off guard, the shrill sound hurting his sensitive ears.

"Quick! Let's get out of here!" the gang leader shouted as the demon put his hands over his ears.

The group quickly gathered themselves and ran, leaving the demon in the alley and a couple of squad cars parking outside the alley. Someone had heard the commotion and called the police, thinking it to be the demon who had attacked the boys.

A small group of police emerged from the cars, withdrawing their guns, aiming at the demon lest he should attack. The demon looked up, shielding his eyes from the bright lights, confused, and saw the same strange weapons the hands of the strangely dressed humans; he had to get away. He got to his feet and ran from the officers.

"Halt!" one of armed officers commanded, "Halt or I'll shoot!"

The demon kept running, hearing the shots behind him as he ducked to avoid being hit, but he skidded to a halt. Another squad car pulled up the other end of the alley; he was trapped, and a cornered demon was more dangerous than any cornered animal. He growled and charged at the other officers that emerged from the newly arrived vehicles, planning to leap over them. One of the officers drew out a different kind of gun and two thin wires shot out at the demon. As they made contact, they sent a pulse of electricity through his body. The demon roared in pain, collapsing to the ground, stunned, the officers approached with caution recognizing him as a demon.

"We've got a demon cornered," one of the officers spoke into his mike, "We're gonna need back-up."

Within minutes more sirens sounded through the night as van pulled up and a few heavily armed officers stepped out, pointing their weapons at the fallen demon. Still weakened from the stun-gun, the demon could do nothing but allow his hands to be restrained behind his back and be led into the van.


	2. Captive

A few days later, Sota Higurashi sat on the floor watching the news as a reported informed the public of the capture of a demon. There had been various attacks on gangs of teenagers over the last few days by a demon, there had been a reward out for his capture and he'd finally been caught. The news switched to a report from a local hospital where a group of boys were being treated for injuries caused by the latest attack that had led to the demon's capture. His sister Kagome walked in with a white haired boy behind her, the two dropping on the couch.

"What's on, Sota?" Kagome asked.

"Nothing good," he replied, eyes remaining glued to the TV, "Just the news," he turned to face her, "Y'know that demon that's been loose around Tokyo?"

"Yeah," she replied, her companion's dog-like ears perking up.

"They finally caught him," Sota returned to the TV.

"Really?" she leaned forward, "What're they going to do with him?"

"They're gonna take him to a research facility," Sota replied, "To study him."

Researchers had been particularly interested in capturing the rogue demon for research. Much like the gargoyles of urban myth in Manhattan, New York in the US, demons lived among humans, mingling with them, but very little was understood about them. The news reporter went on to say that the captured demon had been transferred from police custody to a particular mental hospital that also served a research facility.

"Wait a minute," Sota sat up, "That's where the took Gramps!"

"What!" Kagome exclaimed.

"Mom took Gramps out with her and he wandered off, chasing after some demon," Sota replied, "Someone caught up with him and brought him to that mental hospital."

Kagome fell back against the couch, slapping her forehead, "Oh, brother."

At that moment, their mother walked in, "I have to pick up your grandfather from the hospital... Oh, Kagome, you're home."

"Yeah," she replied looking at Mrs. Higurashi, "It's been slow and I needed a break. Inu Yasha being the stubborn jerk he is," she shot a glare at her companion, "Insisted on coming with me."

"Well, it's good to see you, Inu Yasha," Kagome's mother smiled, "Kagome, I have to go get your grandfather, care to come along?"

"Sure," she got up to follow her mother back out to the car.

Inu Yasha jumped up to follow them, "Hey! Wait a minute!"

So the three of them got into the car to head out, Inu Yasha's head out the window a good deal of the way.

Meanwhile in one of the many labs in the research facility of the hospital, the demon was held in a specially built holding cell, the bars of which were electrified. He'd been put there to ensure the safety of the researchers to whom he showed great hostility. He lay huddled in a corner, unconscious, clothed in a hospital gown as the effects of the tranquilizer wore off. He had been tranquilized so another series of tests could be performed. Test after test had been performed on him: blood samples, x-rays, physicals, to name a few. He'd undergone surgery to remove the bullets from his body and had various blood samples taken to enable the researchers to examine how his blood reacted when exposed to human viruses. He'd been injected with strains of bacteria that caused food poisoning and he was still trying to get over the last strain. His white hair hung past his shoulders, limp and greasy to the touch, his bangs hanging in his face.

A doctor came in, clipboard in his hands as he jotted down some notes, the caged demon awakening.

"And how do we feel?" he asked, seeing the demon stir.

"We're going to be in a lot of pain!" the demon growled, rising, his eyes bleeding red.

He crouched ready to take on his full demon form, only to feel a pulse of electricity go through his body. He had been fitted with a collar that sent a shock through him when he was about to take on his true form. But that didn't stop the demon from attempting an attack as he leapt forward, his hands grasping the bars again receiving a wave of electricity. Suddenly he felt a sharp sting in his arm as the doctor drew a blood sample before leaving. He had to get out of here, he felt like a caged animal, it was completely undignified, especially with the muzzle over his nose and mouth. Angrily, he leapt at the bars, clutching them tightly, the electricity pulsing through his body until he collapsed, losing consciousness.

Kagome and Inu Yasha walked through the halls behind Mrs. Higurashi as she lectured Kagome's grandfather. Suddenly, Inu Yasha stopped as a doctor emerged from a door, grabbing Kagome's arm, making her stop.

"Inu Yasha!" she snapped.

"I smell a demon," he remarked, pointing at the door, "Through there. C'mon!"

He pulled her behind him, through the door, locking it behind them and continued down the hall, following the scent. The hall led to a set of stairs and the two continued on, coming to another door, this one locked.

"Too bad, looks like it's locked, let's go," Kagome tried to turn around, but InuYasha kept a firm grip.

"Like a door's gonna stop me," he remarked throwing himself at it, shoulder against it, the door flying open...


	3. Freedom

As soon as the door opened, Inu Yasha stepped inside, with Kagome close behind him.

"There's nothing here," she muttered, staying close to her friend as he ventured inside.

"Then why lock the door?" he wondered, sniffing the air.

Then his eyes widened as he picked up a scent in the air, the scent of a demon inside the room. He didn't see any demon, but the scent got stronger as they neared the source and it was the same as what he'd caught outside the room. Kagome's eyes searched for the demon that Inu Yasha said he'd smelled and spotted a cage as they rounded a corner of the room. She gasped as her eyes saw the outline of something rather human-shaped inside it and she tugged on the sleeve of Inu Yasha's cloak. Kagome's gasp caught Inu Yasha's ears and he turned to look at her when he felt her tugging at his sleeve.

"Inu Yasha, look," she said quietly.

He followed her line of sight, spotting the cage and the shape that lay behind its bars on the floor. His eyes widened as he recognized the form as being a demon, the one he'd smelled, and gazed intently at it, slowly drawing closer.

The figure lay on its side, long silvery hair spread on the floor, bangs falling in the face, red lining over the eye-lids, pointed ears poking from beneath the hair. Unfortunately, the lower half of the face, from nose to mouth, covering cheeks and chin, was hidden by a muzzle. From what Inu Yasha could tell as he knelt beside the cage, the demon was a male, tall and powerfully built. Yet there was something strangely familiar about him, though the half-breed couldn't put his finger on it. Inu Yasha gazed at the unconscious demon and reached out a hand to touch him through the bars of the cage, but received a shock as his hand came in contact with the metal.

"Inu Yasha, come on!" Kagome whispered urgently as he pulled his hand back, "Someone's coming!"

Grabbing his wrist, she pulled him after her and ducked under a lab table just as a man in a white coat walked in. Exactly how they managed to get out, they couldn't tell, but somehow they got past the doctor and out of the room. They rushed out of the building into the parking lot where Mrs. Higurashi stood waiting for them, Souta and Gramps already in the car.

"Where have you two been?" she asked as they climbed in.

"Inu Yasha smelled something," Kagome said, rather exasperated, "and wanted to find out what it was."

By evening, heavy, dark, sinister clouds blocked out the sun and it wasn't long before it started raining cats and dogs, accompanied by thunder and lightning. As her mother prepared dinner, Kagome gazed out the window at the pouring rain. Inu Yasha was staring at the TV, but she could tell he wasn't paying any attention to it. He was lost in his own thoughts, pondering over what, she had no idea. It wasn't terribly often that Inu Yasha did any deep pondering, especially without looking annoyed or grouchy. Doubtless, he'd snap at her if Kagome said anything, but his expression was peaceful, so whatever he was mulling over wasn't bothering him, just arousing his curiosity. What had Inu Yasha so uncharacteristically deep in thought was the demon they'd found in the mental institution. There was just something about him, something familiar, but Inu Yasha couldn't place it. The red on his eyelids… it was kind of like Sesshomaru's, but surely it was some kind of demonic marking, so there really wasn't any connection... right?

Meanwhile, the demon had awoken not long after the doctor had arrived, but after Inu Yasha and Kagome had left, but their scent lingered and it roused his curiosity. He sat cross legged in his cage, concentrating on the two scents that had been left. They stood out because they were unrecognizable, new, and different from the scents of the doctors. One of them was female, a pure one, like some kind of priestess, but the other scent… that was a little more difficult. It was male and part of it smelled human, yet mingling with that was the scent of a demon, possibly a dog demon, it was hard to tell, certainly dirty… Not that he was one to complain, he hadn't bathed in days, a fact that bothered him. He liked being clean, enjoyed a nice soothing bath after a long day… another smell roused him from his reveries: rain. He looked out the window beside his containment to see that it was indeed raining, quite hard at that. A bright flash of lightning flared in the skies, striking not far off and all of a sudden everything went black.

There were shouts of surprise and panic, the sound of feet running through the building. People were colliding with each other and things, being unable to see in the sudden darkness. But being a demon, he could see better in the dark than humans, and his eyes swiftly adjusted to the change in light. He looked up to see that the lights had gone out; his eyes lowered and focused on the bars around him. He rose and cautiously touched one of the bars experimentally with a finger. Nothing. He grasped the bars with both hands and still nothing but the feel of the cool metal. He pulled against the bars and, with little effort, the door came free from its casing with a groan. This was his chance to escape, perhaps his only chance, and he was going to take it.

The demon stepped through the doorway of his prison and into the room, his eyes darting around for the closet where he knew they had put his clothing. He had seen them, on at least one occasion, rifling through a box that contained material that he knew was that of his clothes, he had even seen the number that marked it. Now he had to find where they kept it. Slowly, he made his through the room, looking for another door, and before long, found it. He turned the knob only to find it locked; no matter, he easily wrenched the doorknob from the door and pushed it open. Looking around, he could see that this was exactly where he wanted to be, as he took note of the other boxes in the closet. He scanned the numbers that marked each box, his eyes falling on those that marked the box containing his clothes. He removed the box from its place and opened it, indeed finding it to hold his articles of clothing. Quickly he dressed and was fastening his _obi _about his waist when he heard someone enter.

The demon drew back slightly, waiting in ambush for whoever had just entered; he sniffed the air, catching the scent of the doctor who had overseen most of the tests the demon had undergone. The demon had no intention of hurting him, but the collar around the demon's neck was becoming irksome. The doctor's eyes still had not completely adjusted to the lack of light and he gazed around, squinting into the dark. Suddenly there was a growl behind him and without warning a clawed hand was around his throat. He was lifted off the ground and slammed against the wall, glowing red eyes glaring at him from the darkness. The demon's hand was sufficiently tight enough to stop the doctor from calling for help, while still allowing him air.

"Remove the collar," the demon commanded in a deep growl.

Terrified for his life, the doctor could only stutter, unaware of course that this particular demon had no real desire to hurt him or any human and was quite reluctant to do so.

"Take it off!" the demon again commanded in another growl.

Wordlessly, the doctor nodded, and the demon's arm, which had been held straight, bent so the doctor could remove the collar. Once that was done, he slammed the doctor into the wall, this time knocking him out.

Gazing down at the unconscious doctor for a moment, the demon quickly located the scent of the human girl and the half-demon. By this time most of the building's occupants had returned to their rooms, few remained in the darkened halls, those that did being nurses and doctors. The demon made his way through the halls, tracking the scent of the girl and the half-breed. He moved silently through and stayed clear of those that were still wandering the halls, following the two scents out to the parking lot, but from there, he lost them. He turned his face up to gaze into the heavens, the rain still falling hard, soaking him as he stood trying to think. He couldn't stand here for long, people would eventually notice he was missing and come look for him, but he had no idea where he should go.


	4. Demon

_Author's Note: Yes, after more than five years, I am continuing this story and if I can find the original documents may at some point edit the older chapters and polish them up. It was not mentioned because I forgot to do so, but the demon was wearing armor the night he was caught and it was stowed away with his clothes. I had neglected to mention it, just fyi before anyone decides to point out the discrepancy. I tried to make it painfully obvious from the beginning that the demon is not Sesshomaru, but judging from the feedback apparently it was not obvious enough._

The demon's steps were slowing now as he tried to drag himself up the last few steps; he couldn't stop now but with any number of drugs still working their way out of his body and a lack of actual sleep, his body simply wasn't holding out much longer. He'd traveled gods only knew how many miles away from the hospital and the busy city here to the outskirts where activity was a bit less and the air not quite as repulsive. He was fast losing strength due to the lingering effects of the drugs and virus he'd been infected with and all he wanted to do was lay down and rest, but he could not be sure it was safe to. His feet had led him to this place, the old Shinto gateway at the base of the steps a sign of a possible temple of some kind, perhaps a place he could hide for awhile. The air around this place was somewhat fresher, he could smell trees, see the dark outline of them at the top, the very feel of this place familiar somehow. He was all but crawling up the steps now, his breath coming in pants as he struggled to stay conscious just a bit longer with the effort of forcing his body against its will. He reached the top of the steps, collapsing to his knees, his eyes gazing around him in a vain attempt to identify his surroundings but in the dismal darkness of night made darker by sinister rain clouds and pounding rain even his demon sight couldn't see much. With a last exhale of breath, his body crumpled to the ground unable to remain upright and conscious any longer, and his eyes slid shut though his mind protested against it. That's how they found him….

Kagome's frantic mumbling woke Inu Yasha from a sound slumber as her footsteps pounded through the house; stupid girl was probably late for that school place she was always whining about. He sat up and stretched, a foot reaching up to sleepily scratch one of his dog-like ears as his friend did indeed hurry about in the frenzied rush of a teenager who'd overslept and was dangerously close to being late for school. She oughta just forget about it, they had jewel shards to find and not much more time to find them before Naraku possibly beat them there. Surely those were more important than the nonsensical equations Inu Yasha couldn't make heads or tails of in her books, far as he was concerned anything someone had to be paid to teach you to figure out wasn't worth knowing. He barely heard her call good-bye to him as she raced out the door followed by something about him going back through the well without her, like that was going to happen. But the scream that came a few minutes later was picked by his sensitive dog ears and sent him instantly rushing out the door after her and to her side where she stood looking down at something, no, some_one_ lying at the top of the steps.

"Kagome! What the-?" he began as he stopped right beside her and his golden eyes saw what she was staring at.

It was the demon from the research facility, Inu Yasha knew it by the scent even though he was no longer dressed in a flimsy hospital gown, but a blue and white _haori_ covered by armor much like Sesshomaru's except the spiked plates partially covered his arms. His back was covered by some kind of off-white, double-tailed pelt, his wrists and forearms protected by gauntlets, his hair now tied back by a purple tie, the lower half of his face was still covered by the muzzle.

Kagome was kneeling beside the unconscious demon and was trying to roll him over onto his back, not an easy task for a human to turn over such a tall demon built of lean muscle and covered by thick demon-bone armor. She at least managed to get his torso turned over so she could reach over and undo the clasps that held the muzzle in place before pulling it free from his face. The moment that pressure was removed, the demon drew in a deep breath, his eyes fluttering open briefly before again falling closed. She looked over his perfect, handsome face, wondering who this demon could be with features that were so masculine and looked like both Sesshomaru and Inu Yasha at the same time. She gasped when her eyes landed on the stripes gracing his cheeks, purple and jagged, so much like those on Inu Yasha's face when he transformed.

"I-Inu Yasha…" she got out, her voice hushed, unsure of what to say or how to say it.

"Hn? What is it?" he asked.

"We have to get him in the house," she said, "He's soaked to the skin and he feels warm. We need to get him inside."

Which was no easy task, even Inu Yasha with his half-demon strength was hard pressed to support the weight of a demon that had to be close to six feet tall and seriously muscled, and by the time they managed to get him inside and dropped rather unceremoniously on the couch, they were both breathing hard. Kagome went off to call out of school, doing her best to make herself actually sound ill, while Inu Yasha did his best to get the bulky spiked armor off the demon. He'd expected the demon to feel warm to Kagome, their bodies were naturally higher in temperature than humans, but this one did feel unusually warm and even though he'd looked after himself most of his life, the half-breed had no idea how to take care of someone with a fever, especially not a full-fledged demon.

"Kagome," he called to her, "I'm gonna go back. I got something I need to do."

"Like what, Inu Yasha?" she asked, wondering how she was supposed to look after a sick demon by herself.

"Keh! Ain't any of your business!" he snapped as he turned to head out.

"Fine! If you're gonna be a jerk about it, then go!"

Inu Yasha turned and left Kagome to ponder over the strange demon on the couch, wondering why she was bothering to help the damn thing when chances were it'd attack her once it woke up, a thought that made him stop and rethink his decision to leave. Glancing back at the house, he changed his mind and leapt up into a tree to spend the day there instead and wait for the moment she needed him to rescue her.

He had a fever and his clothes were soaked, maybe he'd been caught in the rain last night, obviously she needed to do something about that and get him out of his soggy clothing before his fever worsened or he became hypothermic. So Kagome set about carefully removing his _haori_ and the deep red _kosode_ underneath, pulling them loose from the waist of his _hakama_, pausing as she pondered over what to do about those. A blush spread over her cheeks as she gazed at the white silk, almost transparent from the water soaking them, realizing he wore nothing underneath them before looking away and gathering _haori_ and _kosode_ in her arms to hang them to dry. As she dashed outside, she grabbed the pelt from where it had been dropped on the floor when Inu Yasha had removed it with the armor to hang that up as well. Inu Yasha looked down at her as he heard her footsteps approaching, noticing her pink cheeks and the embarrassment in her scent, wondering what had her all flustered as she hung the wet garments and fluff on a line to dry in the sun.

"What's your problem?" he called down to her, making her jump.

"Oh, good you're still here," she replied, looking up at him.

"Figured I'd stick around," he said, jumping down from his branch, "After all, that demon's gonna wake up and you're gonna need my protection."

"I'm not that helpless," she muttered, narrowing her eyes.

"Well, you left your arrows back in Kaede's village," he remarked, "What are you gonna do if he comes after you? Hit him with a frying pan?"

"Maybe I will!" she huffed.

"Uh huh. So what's your problem?"

"Well...umm..." she twiddled her fingers, "Do me a favor?"

"What's the favor?"

"Ineedyoutotakehispantsoff!" she spat out.

"Huh?"

She took a deep breath, "I need you to get his pants off."

"Why can't you do it?"

"He's got no underwear on!"

"So?"

"Inu Yasha! He's naked under there!"

"It really ain't a big deal. But fine, since yer a little chicken," Inu Yasha headed back in the house.

"I don't wanna see that!"

"Like I do?"

"You have that! At least it's nothing you've never seen before!"

"You saw me buck-ass naked before, remember?"

Like she wanted to, but she certainly remembered the time he'd followed her home and Sota had brought him into the shower only for Inu Yasha to come back into Kagome's room completely nude, griping about what she didn't remember. She'd been too horrified at the sight of a naked male half-demon in her room, a fact that clearly hadn't bothered him at all, leaving her to wonder if demons had any kind of modesty.

"Just get his pants off!" she snapped, shoving him into the living room.

Narrowing his eyes after her as she ran off to get a blanket to cover the demon, he walked over and quickly untied the sash holding the _hakama_ in place and stripped them off, grabbing the blanket Kagome held out to him and throwing it over the still demon.

That taken care of, she straightened out the blanket shrouding the well-toned physique, quietly marveling over the apparent lack of any fat on the demon whatsoever, she padded into the kitchen to get some tea ready and grab a damp cloth to lay on his brow. Sitting on the edge of the couch beside him and lifting his head to slip a pillow underneath him, she brushed his waving bangs aside to set the cloth on his forehead, pausing as she caught sight of the dark bluish crescent moon in the center. Laying the cloth over it to help reduce his fever, she studied his face as she pondered over who this strange demon could possibly be, idly lifting one of his large hands and studying the long claws tipping his fingers. Clearly this was not Sesshomaru, Inu Yasha would've recognized that scent in a heartbeat, and even though the red marking his eyelids and the crescent moon were eerily similar to those of the Demon Lord, the stripes gracing his cheeks were different, his hair a darker silver. Was he somehow related to Sesshomaru? The large demon certainly bore a strong resemblance to her friend's homicidal brother, though his features lacked the soft, delicate nature that made up Sesshomaru's beauty, looking closer to Inu Yasha's own features albeit older and full demon. Not to mention the stripes gracing his cheeks... She stroked one of them with a thumb, noting the subtle shift of the face and a barely audible moan from the demon, thinking what a shame it was Sango couldn't come through the well. Inu Yasha may be half-demon himself, but she often wondered how much he truly knew about that half of him, it's not as though he'd ever had anyone to teach him about his demon side, Sango being a slayer seemed to know more.

A sharp whistle broke through the fog of unconsciousness, one eye cracking open as he felt a weight that had been beside him shift away and footsteps walking toward the whistling that sounded like it may be a teapot. Glancing around with the one eye that had been willing to open, he saw that he was somewhere inside, laying on a soft, comfortable surface under a warm blanket and naked as the day he was born...? Wait, what? Willing his other eye open, he lifted a corner of the blanket and saw that his sense was indeed correct, he had no clothes on, a fact that mildly irritated him and left him wondering if he'd been robbed. Then again, why would he be robbed of his clothing (and what use would any human have for demon-bone armor?) and then laid up on their couch in what he assumed was a home of some kind? Lifting a clawed hand to his head, he was surprised to find a damp cloth on his brow, leaving him wondering what sort of thief stole heavy armor and silk clothing only to take him in and treat him. Unless he'd been robbed of his armor and clothing and someone else had found him afterward and taken him home, but this was Japan, surely no robber would've robbed a man of the clothes on his back from the steps of a sacred shrine!

"Oh!" a gasp pulled him from his thoughts, "You're awake!"

His sensitive nose recognized the scent of the girl from the previous day, his eyes shifting to see her peering down at him, a tray in her hands, doe-brown eyes watching him with concern, waving black hair falling past her shoulders, a bluish tint to the strands in the light.

"My armor," he got out, wincing at the hoarse tone of his voice, "My clothes, explain."

"Your clothes are outside drying," she replied, setting the tray on a table beside the couch he laid on, "They were soaked, so relax. I didn't think you'd wanna get any sicker than you already are."

"Where am I?" he asked.

"My family's shrine," she said, pouring a cup of tea from the teapot she'd been carrying on the tray and picking up a couple of little pills, holding both out to him, "Take these, they'll help reduce the fever."

She helped him sit up, repositioning the pillow behind him so it supported his weight as he leaned back against it, his body shaking with the exertion.

"If I find you are lying to me, you will live to regret it," he muttered, eying the pills suspiciously before popping them in his mouth.

"Least you wouldn't kill me," she returned, narrowing her eyes.

"Oh no," he returned after taking a sip of tea to wash down the medicine, "I would kill you, just very very slowly."

_Definitely related to Sesshomaru_, she thought as he took another sip of tea and letting out a pleased sigh, savoring the pleasing taste of the warm beverage.

There was a hint of his tone that was very similar to Sesshomaru's, sounding almost identical to the lethal _taiyoukai_ at the moment, though the sound was deeper and a bit hoarse perhaps from whatever was ailing him. He'd been wary of the pills she'd given him, familiar with the tiny things that contained medicine having been given a variety of them during his stay at the lab while they were conducting research. The ones she'd offered did not, however, look like anything that had been forced down his throat, so he had allowed her the benefit of the doubt since she seemed to want to help him. He paused, his cup lifted part way to his lips and looked at her, unnerved by the way she seemed to be staring at him, studying him, quirking a thick black brow. She glanced away from the molten intensity of his gaze, noting the golden orbs much like Inu Yasha's and Sesshomaru's, but lacking the guardedness of her friend or the cold of his brother's. They were intense and calculating, but warm and expressive, she couldn't help but look back at him when he continued watching her with the intensity of an animal that didn't know what to make of her, trying to decide if she was a threat or not.

"Do you have a name?" she asked, busying herself with pouring her own cup of tea.

"Yes," he replied, "Is there a reason you keep staring at me so intently?"

"Yeah," she said, "Most people would offer their name when asked."

"You didn't ask for my name," he returned, "You asked if I had one. You're not explaining your reason for staring."

"You didn't ask for an explanation," she shot back, "You asked if there was a reason."

"Like what you see?" he smirked.

"No!" she snapped, blushing.

"Oh?" he teased, "How strange. Usually the females of the species find me quite appealing. I assumed such was the case. Pity."

"Aren't we full of ourselves?" she quipped, then sighed, "You look a lot like a couple of demons I know."

"So you are familiar with our kind," he remarked, "So you should know that we can smell deceit. And you're blush begged to differ with your words, by the way."

"You still haven't answered my question."

"You haven't asked one."

"Yes, I did! About your name, remember?"

"If I had one. Asked and answered."

"Ugh! Fine if you're gonna be difficult..."

"So who are these demons I resemble?"

". . ."

"Oh, come now. The silent treatment? Really? Answer my question and I will give you my name."

"Fine, but only after you tell me."

"Very well, if you will tell me yours. Introductions after all. Oh, and staring's rude."

"Kagome Higurashi."

"I am called Inu Taisho, Taisho will do."

"You're called, huh? So is that your actual name?"

"It is the one you are getting. Now these two demons...?"

"One's actually half-demon, he's Inu Yasha. The other is his full demon brother, sorry, _half_-brother, Sesshomaru."

His eyes widened, recalling the half-demon scent he'd caught the night before, one he could smell now in this room, a mix of his own scent and his mate's now that he examined it, his mind flashing back to his last night on the mortal plane. The night his younger son had been born, a son he'd called... Inu Yasha...

"You're related to them, aren't you?" she asked reading the look on his face, "Those markings aren't a coincidence."

"Indeed," he nodded, "They are in fact... my sons."


End file.
